Best times to free range and keep your grass green

[tori729]

We have 8 pullets and have been free ranging them most days in our fenced in backyard. We started this in August I believe so it's been a few months. We have 6/10 of an acre so I'm guessing our backyard is about 1/4 of an acre. They also have a fenced in run that's about 18'x12' where they stay if we aren't home or in the morning right when their coop door opens. The yard has a lot of tree cover and some open grass areas. Lately we've had a drought AND it's fall so everything is sort of dying. Hubby is worried about them scratching the grass away. They have definitely scratched down to dirt around a large cypress tree that they enjoying hanging out under, which is fine. However, and I'm assuming it's for lack of rain, but it just seems that there are much more exposed roots, spots where moss used to grow that are dirt now, and LOTS of chicken poo everywhere!

My questions: I LOVE free ranging them - they seem happier and I'm happier when I see them running around in the backyard. However, we would like to still have some semblance of a yard with grass come spring and I'm concerned that it will be negatively affected. We've talked about keeping them in the run 1-2 days a week or just letting them out certain parts of the day or at certain times. How does the weather affect their ranging habits and how can we best preserve our yard while also letting them out pretty often? Does the dry season mean the poop just stays longer and that's why it seems to be everywhere? (I'm thinking that's the answer) Do some people range them more depending on the time of year?
We are in Upstate SC Zone 7 with mild temps and relatively good amount of precipitation generally.

 

[Morrigan]

Chickens are tough on yards and grass. I don't think it depends on time of day, although the are generally more active morning and late afternoon. They usually like shaded areas. If you want to keep certain parts of your yard free from chicken poop and damage, I would suggest a moveable fence or some other containment method.

 

[kengboss21]

Rotational grazing pen will work, divide their free range section up into x parts. Don't return to the same part for as long as possible given the space u have

 

[aart]

This is where romance meets reality.
If they don't scratch up the plants, the accumulation of poop will make it harder for the plants to grow by changing the soil biology/chemistry.
If you want to keep a nice yard keep the birds confined....at least part of the time and especially in drought and/or winter conditions.
Even with lots of space there will be places that they destroy anyway.

 

[Folly's place]

Mulch! they love to rearrange mulched planting beds, and eat some nice plants, like hostas, for example. And dig up roots around trees and shrubs. Never mind the lawn...
We have shrubs and trees next to our coop, with rocks, 2" to 6" diameter, around them to prevent the 'bare root to death' look.
Your lawn space is not large for eight birds, plan on fencing, as already mentioned. They prefer being under trees and shrubs, being jungle animals originally, so the center of the lawn will be less inviting, but still worked over a bit. And of course, bird poo everywhere! It is good fertilizer, in modest amounts.
Mary

 

[Rangergord]

I have 8 hens and use a chicken tractor inside electric poultry netting. I have a large garden and an orchard/nursery. I don’t dare let them outside their run even for 5 minutes because that’s how fast they will damage my plantings. I live rural though and I actually want them to kill all the grass because grass is no good for fruit trees or gardens!

 

[tori729]

Mulch! they love to rearrange mulched planting beds, and eat some nice plants, like hostas, for example. And dig up roots around trees and shrubs. Never mind the lawn...
We have shrubs and trees next to our coop, with rocks, 2" to 6" diameter, around them to prevent the 'bare root to death' look.
Your lawn space is not large for eight birds, plan on fencing, as already mentioned. They prefer being under trees and shrubs, being jungle animals originally, so the center of the lawn will be less inviting, but still worked over a bit. And of course, bird poo everywhere! It is good fertilizer, in modest amounts.
Mary

Thanks all! I don't know that we want to put more fencing up so I think we will try and just keep them confined a little bit more especially as it gets colder and when it's drier. I hate that they are confined b/c I feel like we forget about them when they are just in their corner run.

As far as mulch, are you saying that will help them keep busy and stay out of the grass? We have a huge pile of mulch we got delivered but we've only put it in their run b/c I don't want it drug all over the yard. Would it actually help to put it in certain spots that we don't mind them hanging out in? Or would it just cause more problems b/c they would spread it everywhere, including the grass? We don't have nice flower beds or landscaping in our backyard but it would be hard to just fence off basically all around the fence borders for them, not to mention ugly with chicken wire everywhere.

 

[Folly's place]

I mulch trees in the yard, and they pull it all over the place. Here I don't care, but you might. Mulch in their yard is great! And a larger run for them?!
It's that learning curve, figuring out how you and they can co-exixt in the same spaces.
Mary

 

[tori729]

I mulch trees in the yard, and they pull it all over the place. Here I don't care, but you might. Mulch in their yard is great! And a larger run for them?!
It's that learning curve, figuring out how you and they can co-exixt in the same spaces.
Mary

Yeah I think we just have to figure it out. Initially I was worried about predators so I didn't want them roaming. That's not the issue anymore but now it's more about preserving the grass so we actually have a yard for my kids to play in. I think it's harder b/c of the time of year we started. I don't know what it would have been like to start them roaming in late spring/early summer when the yard was at its greenest and could probably maintain it more easily. I just want to make sure the grass grows back in the spring so I don't want them to damage it now while it's kind of dead. I'm sure things will keep growing - we have great soil here - but it's just kind of an experiment at this point. So we will keep trying!

 

[Nym]

I have 7 chickens and feed them all a hearty brekky before letting them out on the 1/4acre surburban yard. I recently fenced a section of yard and they seem to love it! My noisy girl, Susie, has even stopped all her alarm-raising noise! This area includes a 'wild' corner of palms, hibiscus and clivia + all the leaf litter from a large figtree that they love foraging in but can do no damage to. There are tufts of large ornamental native grasses and the whole section has not been mowed low for years .. just the needed tidy-up around the shed path. All the lawn clippings go in here as well for them to pick through. During storms last year I had a large figtree branch break, so it was cut up and left in piles until it makes its way to the fire pit. They love poking around in the pile and climbing it for the view lol. They only tend to dig where I water new plantings, so I put tree guards or a mesh of branches and stones around those areas. I have greens growing in a tyre that has a low plastic mesh around it so they can pick the leaves without scratching it all up etc. I can't say I notice too much poop outside the coop. hmmm